Pavilion with series of arches and method of assembling and erecting it

ABSTRACT

A tent-like structure, hereafter called a pavilion, with a series of curved arches and a panel of flexible membranous material attached to each pair of arches and tensioned in both directions with the panels concavely curved in the direction of the spacing of the arches as well as convexly curved in the other direction to minimize flutter and vibration and to enhance its load-carrying capacity. The panels are attached to the arches by inserting beads on their edges into tunnels in the arches so that the panels may slide lengthwise of the arches to tension them lengthwise. The arches are mounted on rails to swing from recumbent to upright positions and slide toward each other to facilitate assembly of the panels and away from each other to tension the panels transversely. To move the arches apart and tension the panels transversely, extensible struts, such as toggles or jack-screws, are provided between each pair of arches. Alternate arches may be made larger or smaller than the other arches to enable inside struts to be used without interference with the panels. End closures, of the same general construction as the body of the pavilion, which may close the ends of the pavilion or nest with the body of the pavilion to open the ends, may also be provided. The concave transverse curvature may be imparted to the panels in the manner disclosed in the applicant&#39;&#39;s application, S.N. 93293, filed Nov. 27, 1971, or by preforming the panels with such curvature.

United States Patent [191 Huddle PAVILION WITH SERIES OF ARCHES AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AND ERECTING IT [75]. Inventor: Carl F. IIuddle,.Pleasant Ridge,

Mich. V

[73] Assignee: Tension Structures C0., Royal Oak,

Mich.

[22] Filed: Feb. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 225,899

[52] US. Cl 135/4 R [51] Int. Cl. A45f l/l6 [58] Field of Search....- ,135/] R, 3 R, 4 R, 5 R, 135/3 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,215,153 11/1965 Huddle 135/4 R 3,469,587 9/1969 Folkes 135/4 R Primary Examiner-Peter M. Caun [57] ABSTRACT A tent-like structure, hereafter called a pavilion, with a series of curved arches and a panel of flexible mem- June 28, 1974 branous material attached to each pair of arches and tensioned in both directions with the panels concavely curved in the direction of the spacing of the arches as well as convexly curved in the other direction to minimize flutter and vibration and to enhance its loadcarrying capacity. The panels are attached to the arches by inserting beads on their edges into tunnels in the arches so that the panels may slide lengthwise of the arches to tension them lengthwise. The arches are mounted on rails to swing from recumbent to upright positions and slide toward each other to facilitate assembly of the panels and away from each other to tension the panels transversely. To move the arches apart and tension the panels transversely, extensible struts, such as toggles or jack-screws, are provided between each pair of arches. Alternate arches may be made larger or smaller than the other arches to enable inside struts to be used without interference with the panels. End closures, of the same general construction as the body of the pavilion, which may close the ends of the pavilion or nest with the body of the pavilion to open the ends, may also be provided. The concave transverse curvature may be imparted to the panels in the manner disclosed in the applicants application, S.N. 93293, filed Nov. 27, 1971, or by preforming the panels with such curvature.

10 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTEflJuuza I974 SHEET 1 OF 5 Hum P TM

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III-E 1 PAVILION WITH SERIES OF ARCHES AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AND ERECTING IT SUMMARY OF INVENTION -tion S.N. 93293.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a pavilion of this type in which the tendency of the covering material to wrinkle and flutter or vibrate in gusty winds is minimized and the ability of the covering material to carry heavy loads of snow or ice and withstand strong winds without undue strain is enhanced and methods of assembling and erecting such pavilions, and constructions which, among other things, facilitate the attainmentof the first-mentioned objectives.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a method of assembling and erecting such pavilions and a construction which eliminates slack, from the lower ends as well as the upper ends of the panels.

his another object of the invention to provide end I closures for pavilions of the type described which are movable to positions in which the ends are substantially completely open and, in particular, to closures of this type which partake of the characteristics of the bodies of the pavilions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide apavilion of the type under consideration in which inside arch-spacing struts may be used without interference with the panels.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is made to the following specification and the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are described and shown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a pavilion in accordance with the invention. 7

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the pavilion in an initial stage of erection.

FIG. 4 is a similar view of the pavilion in a second stage of erection.

FIG. 5 is a similar view of the pavilion in a third stage of erection.

FIG. 6 is an. enlarged perspective view of an individual rail and a mounting bracket for one end of an arch.

FIG. 7 is a similar view of a portion of a rail for one end of a number of arches and one of the mounting brackets on it.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a pair of arches and an associated strut. 4

FIG. 9 is a similar view of a modified arch and a portion of an associated strut and panel.

FIG. 10 is a similar view of another arch and a portion of an associated strut and panel.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the end of the pavilion which is shown at the right in FIG. 1 with the arches mounted on a rail of the type shown in FIG. 7 and the end closure in open position.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of a modified form of pavilion.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary section on the line 13-13 of FIG. 12. i

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of one end of a pavilion equipped with a modified end closure.

FIG. 15 is a view of portions of two arches and an interposed strut of modified form.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a modified form of panel.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The pavilion shown in the drawing includes a series of curved arches I mounted to swing on the ground or other base 2 from the recumbent positions in which they are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to the upright positions in which they are shown in FIG. 5 and other views. Between each pair of arches, except one or more intermediate pairs, there extends a panel 3 of flexible membra nous material, such as a suitable coated fabric which is stretchable within limits. Each edge of each panel is suitably attached to each of a pair of adjacent arches as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

, The panels 3 of covering material are, of course, convexly curved in transverse cross-section. They are also shallowly concavely curved in longitudinal crosssection (say, so that the sag is something like 10 percent of the distance between the arches) and tensioned in both directions in order to minimize the tendency of the material to flutter or vibrate in gusty winds and to enhance its ability to carry heavy loads of snow or ice without undue strain.

To facilitate the realization of the structure described, the panels 3 are, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, attached to the arches so that their edges may slide lengthwise thereof and the panels thus be tensioned lengthwise, and the arches are mounted so that they may be moved toward each other to facilitate attachment of the panels of covering material to them and then away from each to tension the panels transversely. To tension and depress the panels between the arches to minimize their tendency to flutter and vibrate and enhance their load-carrying capacity, there are provided in the lower edges of the panels one or more tension rings 30 of the type disclosed in my application S.N. 82457, filed Oct. 20, 1970. Each of these tension rings consists of a cable which extends through an arched tunnel in or on the panel of covering material with its ends attached to the base 2. The concave longitudinal curvature may be imparted to the panels as disclosed in the applicants application S.N. 93293 or by preforming the panels as indicated in FIG. 16 or otherwise. In FIG. 16, the concave longitudinal curvature is imparted to the panels 3 by making them in sections 9 of hour-glass profile joined along their curved edges.

To mount the arches so that they may be moved toward and away from each other, there are provided at the lower ends of the legs of the arches I, rails 4 which extend lengthwise of the pavilion and are attached to the base 2 by pins 5. Mounted to slide on the rails are brackets 6 with upstanding ears 7 for each of the legs of the arches. There may be a pair of rails to accommodate each of the arches or a single pair of rails to accommodate a number or all of the arches in the pavilion. The former alternative is shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the latter in FIGS. 1, 7, 11, 12 and 14.

The lower ends of the legs of the arches are mounted to swing on pins 8 which extend through them and the ears 7 on the brackets.

As indicated in FIG. 4, the panels 3 are preferably attached to the arches when the arches are in recumbent positions and'the brackets are closer together than they are in the finished structure. Then the arches are erected and moved apart to impart the desired degree of tension to the panels transversely. Any of a number of expedients may be employed to prevent the arches bunching together as they are raised.

To move apart the arches between which the panels 3 extend and tension the panels transversely and hold them in this position, there are provided between each pair of the arches toggles l 1 which consist of struts l2 and 13 whose outer ends are mounted to swing with respect to each other on a pin 14 which extends through both. After the arches are erected, the toggles are straightened to move the arches apart and impart to the panels of covering material the desired tension transversely. To hold the struts aligned, there are provided pins 15 which extend through holes 16 and 17 which register when the struts are aligned.

To facilitate straightening the toggles, there may be provided at the adjacent ends of the struts l2 and 13 pulleys l8 and cables 19 which run over the pulleys. After the arches are erected, they may be moved apart to the desired extent by pulling downwardly on the ends of the cables.

To permit retensioning of panels 3 in the event slack develops in them, somewhat longer toggles may be substituted for the original toggles or the original toggles may be made adjustable by providing alternate holes for the swing pins at their inner ends or their outer ends as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 or both. If the rails 4 are long enough the space necessary to permit the retensioning may be obtained by moving one or both ends of the pavilion outwardly.

Where this is not possible or feasible, the necessary space may be obtained by providing an expansion module or modules 20 which the spaces between the pairs of arches not bridged by toggles constitute. These spaces may be closed in any suitable manner, such as by panels 10 of flexible membranous material similar to the panels 3 and with similar tension rings 30 in them, but tensioned transversely only to the extent they may be without separation of the arches to which they are attached.

Suitable closures may be provided for one or both ends of the pavilion, such as the accordion-like structure 21 at the left end of FIG. 1 which may be collapsed to open the ends or a similar structure in which the arches swing on a horizontal axis as do the arches of the closure shown at the right end, or the structure 20 shown at the right end of FIG. 1 which it is not necessary to collapse to open the end. The closures 20 and 21 are generally similar in construction to the body of the pavilion in that they are made up of semi-arches 23 in the case of the closure 21 and arches 22 in the case of the closure 20 and panels 24 of flexible covering material which extend between and are attached to the arches.

The summits of the semi-arches 23 of the closure 21 converge at the summit of the adjacent outermost arch 1. The closure 21 is made in two halves which meet at a projection of the center-line of the pavilion to close the end of the pavilion. The semi-arches are mounted to swing about a vertical axis at the point of convergence of their summits to collapse each half against a leg of the nearer end arch 1 and open the end of the pavilion.

The arches 22 of the closure 20 at the right end of FIG. 1, on the other hand, are mounted to swing on a horizontal axis coincident or near the axis of the adjacent outer arch 1. The arches 22 are held apart as are the arches 1 with the panels 24 under tension by struts which may be similar to the toggles 11. The arches and the panels are, consequently, not collapsed and extended to open and close the end of the pavilion but swing as a unit from the position in which they are shown in FIG. 1 to that in which they are shown in FIG. 11. So that the innermost of the arches 22 may swing past the outermost of the arches 1 to open and close the end, the arches 22 are made sufficiently wider and higher than the outermost of the end arches l and mounted outwardly thereof. Suitable means such as the tie-downs 25 may be provided to hold the closure 20 open.

To close the gap between the innermost of the arches 22 and the outermost of the arches 1, there is provided a panel 26 similar to the panels 3 and 24 of which one side is attached to each of the arches and is folded upon itself and overlies the outermost panel 3 when the end of the pavilion is open.

Instead of the toggle type struts 11 shown in the preceding figures, there may be employed jack-screws such as that shown in FIG. 15 which consists of rod-like end members 28 which are mounted to swing on the arches and oppositely threaded at their inner ends and an intermediate sleeve 29 which is threaded onto the ends of the rods. It is to be noted that struts of this type are employed in the structures shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14.

As shown in FIG. 14, end closures of the type shown at the right side of FIG. 1 may be made to nest inside instead of outside the body of the pavilion without loss of head or side room by increasing both the lateral and vertical dimensionsof the outermost arches 1 of the body and making the arches 22 of the closures commensurate in size with the other arches 1 of the body so that the latter can be swung into the body of the pavilion. Instead of providing a reversible panel of covering material between the outermost of the arches l of the body of the pavilion and the innermost of the arches 22 of the closure, there may be provided at the end of the body an outwardly inclined arch 30 which overlaps the inner end of the closure when it is in its closed position.

To eliminate the possibility of build-up of snow and ice on the panels 3 behind the struts, the struts may be located inside instead of outside the panels, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In this location, the struts may be made to clear the panels by making alternate arches 1 larger and smaller in lateral as well as vertical dimensions and disposing the struts between successive smaller arches. The provision of external struts between the larger arches would to some extent defeat the purpose of the construction so the panels 3 are preferably relied upon to keep the larger arches in the desired relation to each other. In addition, there may be provided angular stabilizers 27 which extend from the middles of the struts 28-29;to the adjacent larger arch to minimize any tendency of the struts to buckle.

However, the alternate larger and smaller arch eonfrom aposition in which it closes the end of the pavilion to a position in which it is nested with it and opens it, the closure including two arches of different dimensions than the end arch of the pavilion which are fixed apart from each other at their bights and mounted to swing as a unit at a distance from their bights.

2. The invention claimed in claim 1, in which the innermost arch of the closure and the outermost arch of the pavilion are connected by a panel of flexible covering material which closes the space between them when the end is closed and is reversed and overlaps an end portion of the pavilion when the end is open.

3. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which the end arch of the pavilion and the innermost arch of the closure overlap when the end of the pavilion is closed and overlap more when the end of the pavilion is open.

4. A tensioned membrane structure comprised of a multiplicity of substantially vertical arches with curved bights that includes two arches disposed at a distance from each other so as to form a vaulted framework and attached to 'a base so as to permit swinging movement about the base pivot and horizontal movement towards and away from each other; a flexible, but substantially inextensible membrane'that extends between and is attached to said two arches and said base and is so pre' fabricated and tensioned that in elevation said membrane forms an inwardly concave curve lengthwise of the structure between the bights of the arches; and a plurality of means between the bights and the legs of two said arches to force them apart to tension said flexible membrane longitudinally and transversely and maintain said membrane in tension; the arrangement being such that the forced separation of said arches tensions the membrane longitudinally which tends to decrease the inward curvature of the membrane between the arches, which in turn, tensions said membrane transversely since it is attached to the base between said arches.

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the inward structure of the membrane between the bights of the arches is at least 5 percent of the distance between them.

6. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart may be ad justed to vary the spacing of the arches.

7. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart is a compression member.

8. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart is a jack.

9. The structure claimed in claim 7, plus means remote from the jack for operating it.

' 10. In a pavilion, a plurality of alternately larger andsmaller upstanding arches which are spaced from each other, a flexible covering material which extends between .and is attached to adjacent arches, means for spacing the arches from each other and tensioning the covering material including struts which extend between smaller arches and are located inside the covering material, and stabilizers attached to struts between their ends and the arch intermediate the arches be tween which the struts extend.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,820,553 Dated June 1974 lnventofls) CaTl F. Huddle It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

. Column 6, line 16, "structure" should read curvature I Signed and Sealed this third Day Of February 1976 [SEAL] Attest:

a RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner ofPatems and Trademarks FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) uscoMM-oc eoa7e-pe9 U,S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 93o 

1. In a pavilion which includes an arch which defines an end of the pavilion, a closure for the end of the pavilion which includes a structure which may be moved from a position in which it closes the end of the pavilion to a position in which it is nested with it and opens it, the closure including two arches of different dimensions than the end arch of the pavilion which are fixed apart from each other at their bights and mounted to swing as a unit at a distance from their bights.
 2. The invention claimed in claim 1, in which the innermost arch of the closure and the outermost arch of the pavilion are connected by a panel of flexible covering material which closes the space between them when the end is closed and is reversed and overlaps an end portion of the pavilion when the end is open.
 3. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which the end arch of the pavilion and the innermost arch of the closure overlap when the end of the pavilion is closed and overlap more when the end of the pavilion is open.
 4. A tensioned membrane structure comprised of a multiplicity of substantially vertical arches with curved bights that includes two arches disposed at a distance from each other so as to form a vaulted framework and attached to a base so as to permit swinging movement about the base pivot and horizontal movement towards and away from each other; a flexible, but substantially inextensible membrane that extends between and is attached to said two arches and said base and is so prefabricated and tensioned that in elevation said membrane forms an inwardly concave curve lengthwise of the structure between the bights of the arches; and a plurality of means between the bights and the legs of two said arches to force them apart to tension said flexible membrane longitudinally and transversely and maintain said membrane in tension; the arrangement being such that the forced separation of said arches tensions the membrane longitudinally which tends to decrease the inward curvature of the membrane between the arches, which in turn, tensions said membrane transversely since it is attached to the base between said arches.
 5. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the inward structure of the membrane between the bights of the arches is at least 5 percent of the distance between them.
 6. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart may be adjusted to vary the spacing of the arches.
 7. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart is a compression member.
 8. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the means for forcing said two arches apart is a jack.
 9. The structure claimed in claim 7, plus means remote from the jack for operating it.
 10. In a pavilion, a plurality of alternately larger and smaller upstanding arches which are spaced from each other, a flexible covering material which extends between and is attached to adjacent arches, means for spacing the arches from each other and tensioning the covering material including struts which extend between smaller arches and are located inside the covering material, and stabilizers attached to struts between their ends and the arch intermediate the arches between which the struts extend. 